scholarly journals Near-complete Loss of Fire-resistant Primary Tropical Forest Cover in Sumatra and Kalimantan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadas Nikonovas ◽  
Allan Spessa ◽  
Stefan Doerr ◽  
Gareth Clay ◽  
Symon Mezbahuddin
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Entire Region ◽  
Active Fire ◽  
Peatland Restoration ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Drought Conditions

Abstract Deforestation in Sumatra and Kalimantan in recent decades has made increasingly large parts of the region vulnerable to fires. Burning is particularly widespread in deforested peatlands, leading to globally significant carbon emissions. Here we assess primary forest cover loss and fragmentation combined with active fire observations between 2001 and 2019 for the entire region. We find that fires did not penetrate undisturbed primary forest areas deeper than two kilometres from the forest edge irrespective of drought conditions, highlighting the resistance of such forests to burning. However, only 10% of primary forest on peatland and 13% on non-peatlands remain in this category, with the rest being severely fragmented or degraded due to proximity to the forest edge. Fire-resistant forests now cover only 3% of peatlands and 4.5% of non-peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan. We also show that 15% and 17% of burning during the 2015 and 2019 fire episodes respectively occurred on land cleared since 2001. Our work demonstrates that protection and regeneration of the remaining contiguous primary forest blocks, as well as peatland restoration, are an urgent necessity for mitigating the impacts of potentially more frequent fire events under future global warming in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Near-complete loss of fire-resistant primary tropical forest cover in Sumatra and Kalimantan

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadas Nikonovas ◽  
Allan Spessa ◽  
Stefan H. Doerr ◽  
Gareth D. Clay ◽  
Symon Mezbahuddin
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Peatland Restoration ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Primary Forests

AbstractDeforestation in Indonesia in recent decades has made increasingly large parts of the region vulnerable to fires. Burning is particularly widespread in deforested peatlands, and it leads to globally significant carbon emissions. Here we use satellite-based observations to assess loss and fragmentation of primary forests and associated changes in fire regimes in Sumatra and Kalimantan between 2001 and 2019. We find that fires did not penetrate undisturbed primary forest areas deeper than two kilometres from the forest edge irrespective of drought conditions. However, fire-resistant forest now covers only 3% of peatlands and 4.5% of non-peatlands; the majority of the remaining primary forests are severely fragmented or degraded due to proximity to the forest edge. We conclude that protection and regeneration of the remaining blocks of contiguous primary forest, as well as peatland restoration, are urgently needed to mitigate the impacts of potentially more frequent fire events under future global warming.

scholarly journals Near-complete loss of fire-resistant primary tropical forest cover in Sumatra and Kalimantan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadas Nikonovas ◽  
Allan Spessa ◽  
Stefan Doerr ◽  
Gareth Clay ◽  
Symon Mezbuhaddin
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Peatland Restoration ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Primary Forests

<p>Deforestation in Indonesia in recent decades has made increasingly large parts of the region vulnerable to fires. Burning is particularly widespread in deforested peatlands, and it leads to globally significant carbon emissions. Here we use satellite-based observations to assess loss and fragmentation of primary forests and associated changes in fire regimes in Sumatra and Kalimantan between 2001 and 2019. We find that fires did not penetrate undisturbed primary forest areas deeper than two kilometres from the forest edge irrespective of drought conditions. However, fire-resistant forest now covers only 3% of peatlands and 4.5% of non-peatlands; the majority of the remaining primary forests are severely fragmented or degraded due to proximity to the forest edge. We conclude that protection and regeneration of the remaining blocks of contiguous primary forest, as well as peatland restoration, are urgently needed to mitigate the impacts of potentially more frequent fire events under future global warming.</p>

scholarly journals Haiti’s biodiversity threatened by nearly complete loss of primary forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (46) ◽  
pp. 11850-11855 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Blair Hedges ◽  
Warren B. Cohen ◽  
Joel Timyan ◽  
Zhiqiang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Secondary Growth ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Primary Forests ◽  
Agricultural Organization

Tropical forests hold most of Earth’s biodiversity. Their continued loss through deforestation and agriculture is the main threat to species globally, more than disease, invasive species, and climate change. However, not all tropical forests have the same ability to sustain biodiversity. Those that have been disturbed by humans, including forests previously cleared and regrown (secondary growth), have lower levels of species richness compared with undisturbed (primary) forests. The difference is even greater considering extinctions that will later emanate from the disturbance (extinction debt). Here, we find that Haiti has less than 1% of its original primary forest and is therefore among the most deforested countries. Primary forest has declined over three decades inside national parks, and 42 of the 50 highest and largest mountains have lost all primary forest. Our surveys of vertebrate diversity (especially amphibians and reptiles) on mountaintops indicates that endemic species have been lost along with the loss of forest. At the current rate, Haiti will lose essentially all of its primary forest during the next two decades and is already undergoing a mass extinction of its biodiversity because of deforestation. These findings point to the need, in general, for better reporting of forest cover data of relevance to biodiversity, instead of “total forest” as defined by the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization. Expanded detection and monitoring of primary forest globally will improve the efficiency of conservation measures, inside and outside of protected areas.

scholarly journals Extreme Wildfire occurrence in response to Global Change type Droughts in the Northern Mediterranean

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Ruffault ◽  
Thomas Curt ◽  
Nicolas K. Martin St-Paul ◽  
Vincent Moron ◽  
Ricardo M. Trigo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Specific Interactions ◽  
Wildfire Occurrence ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Mediterranean France

Abstract. Increasing drought conditions under global warming are expected to alter the frequency and distribution of large, high intensity wildfires. Yet, little is known regarding how it will affect fire weather and translate into wildfire behaviour. Here, we analysed the climatology of extreme wildfires that occurred during the exceptionally dry summers of 2003 and 2016 in Mediterranean France. We identified two distinct shifts in fire climatology towards fire weather spaces that had not been explored before, and which result from specific interactions between the types of drought and the types of fire. In 2016, a long-lasting press drought intensified wind-driven fires. In 2003, a hot drought combining a heatwave with a press drought intensified heat-driven fires. Our findings highlight that increasing drought conditions projected by climate change scenarios might affect the dryness of fuel compartments and create several new generations of wildfire overwhelming fire suppression capacities.

scholarly journals Natural Regeneration of the Tree Stand in the Bilberry Spruce Forest—Clear-Cutting Ecotone Complex in the First Post-Logging Decade

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1542
Author(s):  
Nadezhda V. Genikova ◽  
Viktor N. Mamontov ◽  
Alexander M. Kryshen ◽  
Vladimir A. Kharitonov ◽  
Sergey A. Moshnikov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting

Bilberry spruce forests are the most widespread forest type in the European boreal zone. Limiting the clear-cuttings size leads to fragmentation of forest cover and the appearance of large areas of ecotone complexes, composed of forest (F), a transition from forest to the cut-over site under tree canopy (FE), a transition from forest to the cut-over site beyond tree canopy (CE), and the actual clear-cut site (C). Natural regeneration of woody species (spruce, birch, rowan) in the bilberry spruce stand—clear-cut ecotone complex was studied during the first decade after logging. The effects produced by the time since cutting, forest edge aspect, and the ground cover on the emergence and growth of trees and shrubs under forest canopy and openly in the clear-cut were investigated. Estimating the amount and size of different species in the regeneration showed FE and CE width to be 8 m—roughly half the height of first-story trees. Typical forest conditions (F) feature a relatively small amount of regenerating spruce and birch. The most favorable conditions for natural regeneration of spruce in the clear-cut—mature bilberry spruce stand ecotone are at the forest edge in areas of transition both towards the forest and towards the clear-cut (FE and CE). Clear-cut areas farther from the forest edge (C) offer an advantage to regenerating birch, which grows densely and actively in this area.

scholarly journals PLANT COMMUNITY CHANGE ACROSS THE PALEOCENE-EOCENE BOUNDARY IN THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN, CENTRAL TEXAS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer D. Wagner ◽  
Daniel J. Peppe ◽  
Jennifer M.K. O'Keefe ◽  
Christopher Dennison
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Gulf Coastal Plain ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Central Texas

During the early Paleogene the Earth experienced long-term global warming punctuated by several short-term ‘hyperthermal’ events, the most pronounced of which is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). During this time, tropical climates expanded into extra-tropical areas potentially forming a wide band of ‘paratropical’ forests that are hypothesized to have expanded into the mid-latitude Northern Great Plains (NGP). Relatively little is known about these ‘paratropical’ floras, which would have extended across the Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP). This study assesses the preserved floras from the GCP in Central Texas before and after the PETM to define plant ecosystem changes associated with the hyperthermal event in this region. These floras suggest a high turnover rate, change in plant community composition, and uniform plant communities across the GCP at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Paleoecology and paleoclimate estimates from Central Texas PETM floras suggest a warm and wet environment, indicative of tropical seasonal forest to tropical rainforest biomes. Fossil evidence from the GCP combined with data from the NGP and modern tropics suggest that warming during the PETM helped create a ‘paratropical belt’ that extended into the mid-latitudes. Evaluating the response of plant communities to rapid global warming is important for understanding and preparing for current and future global warming and climate change.

scholarly journals Effective CO<sub>2</sub> lifetime and future CO<sub>2</sub> levels based on fit function

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1591-1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Sonnemann ◽  
M. Grygalashvyly
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Power Function ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Atmospheric Emissions ◽  
Atmospheric Concentration ◽  
Effective Lifetime ◽  
Global Emission ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations

Abstract. The estimated global CO2 emission rates and the measured atmospheric CO2 concentrations show that only a certain share of the emitted CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere. For given atmospheric emissions of CO2, the effective lifetime determines its accumulation in the atmosphere and, consequently, its impact on the future global warming. We found that on average the inferred effective lifetime of CO2 decreases as its atmospheric concentration increases, reducing the rate of its accumulation in the atmosphere. We derived a power function that fits the varying lifetimes. Based on this fitting function, we calculated the increase of CO2 for different scenarios of future global emission rates.

Potential impact of global warming on deciduous oak dieback caused by ambrosia fungus Raffaelea sp. carried by ambrosia beetle Platypus quercivorus (Coleoptera: Platypodidae) in Japan

2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kamata ◽  
K. Esaki ◽  
K. Kato ◽  
Y. Igeta ◽  
K. Wada
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Ambrosia Beetle ◽  
Quercus Crispula ◽  
Platypus Quercivorus ◽  
Stable Relationship ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Associated Species

AbstractDeciduous oak dieback in Japan has been known since the 1930s, but in the last ten years epidemics have intensified and spread to the island’s western coastal areas. The symbiotic ambrosia fungus Raffaelea sp. is the causal agent of oak dieback, and is vectored by Platypus quercivorus (Murayama). This is the first example of an ambrosia beetle fungus that kills vigorous trees. Mortality of Quercus crispula was approximately 40% but much lower for associated species of Fagaceae, even though each species had a similar number of beetle attacks. It is likely that other oaks resistant to the fungus evolved under a stable relationship between the tree, fungus and beetle during a long evolutionary process. Quercus crispula was probably not part of this coevolution. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that P. quercivorus showed the least preference for Q. crispulayet exhibited highest reproductive success in this species. Therefore, P. quercivorus could spread more rapidly in stands with a high composition of Q. crispula. The present oak dieback epidemic in Japan probably resulted from the warmer climate that occurred from the late 1980s which made possible the fateful encounter of P. quercivorus with Q. cripsula by allowing the beetle to extend its distribution to more northerly latitudes and higher altitudes. Future global warming will possibly accelerate the overlapping of the distributions of P. quercivorus and Q. crispula with the result that oak dieback in Q. crispula will become more prevalent in Japan.

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